The new system software's released this month has 250 improvements for the company's laptops and desktops and offers some nice additions for only $30:

• Programs can save multiple versions of your work automatically. So that paragraph you accidentally erased two hours ago can be revived.

• Reopening a program restores all the windows and settings of the program when it was last closed.

• Files can be moved between two computers wirelessly without a WiFi network.

• Substantial improvements to Apple's email program.

My problem with upgrading to Lion, or any new operating system for computers, is that the payoff for upgrading quickly is not worth the potential drawbacks such as:

• Programs you count on may not work as well, or in the case of Quicken for the Mac, not at all. Research to make sure the critical programs work in the new operating system.

• The first versions of new operating systems usually have the most bugs, so users who wait a few months until a few operating system updates are released will have a smoother transition.

-- A majority of recent operating system upgrades from Apple and Microsoft include flashier, and often unnecessary, new ways to accomplish the same goal: organize your information.

The current computer operating system are just revisions of the same premise of programs running in windows that the Macintosh computer launched in 1984. Now 27 years later, there isn't a lot of bases left to be covered.

My desktop computer at work runs Windows XP, which was released in 2001, and is still running on 51 percent of the world's computers despite its followups Vista and Windows 7. For many companies and individuals, XP still runs all the necessary programs to get work done.

For younger ecosystems, such as smartphones, software and hardware are taking larger strides with each upgrade. It was only two years ago that the iPhone couldn't perform simple copy, cut and paste functions.

Upgrading your computer operating system is not a bad idea. But until there is a feature or program that requires you to do a computer makeover, there's little reason to rush into change.